Mayo Clinic Discovers New Type of Memory Loss Often Mistaken for Alzheimer’s Disease

Scientists at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota say they have identified a new type of memory loss.

Limbic-predominant amnestic neurodegenerative syndrome, or LANS, affects the brain’s limbic system, which helps regulate emotions and behavior.

The syndrome is very similar to Alzheimer’s diseasebut does not progress as quickly and has a “better prognosis,” according to a Mayo Clinic news release.

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Researchers used data from more than 200 patients from the Mayo Clinic Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center, the Mayo Clinic Study of Aging and the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative to create a set of criteria that can be used to diagnose LANS.

Scientists at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota say they have identified a new type of memory loss. “This study places our clinical expertise in a clear framework that others can use to treat their patients.” (iStock)

The criteria include factors such as age, brain scansmemory loss symptoms and certain biological markers, the researchers noted.

The results were published Wednesday in the journal Brain Communications.

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Dr. David T. Jones, a Mayo Clinic neurologist and lead author of the study, said his team sees patients with symptoms of memory loss every day.

Before these criteria, analyzing brain tissue after a patient’s death was the only way to diagnose the syndrome.

“I’ve been seeing these patients for over a decade, and it’s clear that what’s happening is different than typical Alzheimer’s disease,” he told Fox News Digital via email.

Limbic-predominant amnestic neurodegenerative syndrome, or LANS, affects the brain’s limbic system, which helps regulate emotions and behavior. (iStock)

“This document places our clinical expertise in a clear framework that others can use to care for their patients.”

Jones said that in many cases, “it’s clear that there’s a memory problem, which is then diagnosed as Alzheimer’s disease – but then a biomarker test or some other test would show that it’s not Alzheimer’s disease.”

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The doctor added: “Usually the most a doctor could say was, ‘I know what you don’t have.’ Now we have answers.”

Nick Corriveau-Lecavalier, Ph.D., first author of the study, explained the difference between LANS and Alzheimer’s disease in more detail in the press release.

“Usually the most a doctor could say was, ‘I know what you don’t have.’ Now we have answers.”

“Historically, you might see someone in the 80s “People have memory problems and think they may have Alzheimer’s disease, and that’s often the thinking today,” Corriveau-Lecavalier said.

LANS is a different syndrome that occurs much later in life, he noted.

“Often, the symptoms are limited to memory and do not progress to affect other cognitive domains. The prognosis is therefore better than in Alzheimer’s disease.”

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The goal is for doctors to use these findings to create more personalized therapies for patients with LANS to better manage their cognitive symptoms, researchers say.

Rebecca M. Edelmayer, PhD, senior director of science engagement at the Alzheimer’s Association of Chicago, responded positively to the findings.

The syndrome is very similar to Alzheimer’s disease, but does not progress as quickly and has a “better prognosis,” according to a Mayo Clinic news release. (iStock)

“This research illustrates the great need to develop objective criteria for the diagnosis and staging of Alzheimer’s disease and all other types of dementia, and to create an integrated biological and clinical staging system that can be used effectively by physicians,” Edelmayer, who was not involved in the research, told Fox News Digital via email.

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The hope is that biomarkers will one day be available to help distinguish between different types of dementia, she said, but until then, these “clinical criteria” will help doctors provide a “more personalized approach” to care and treatment.

The research was funded in part by the National Institutes of Health.